User manual LEICA M9 TITAN BROCHURE

[. . . ] It balances in an exciting relationship with all other sciences: It battles against them, yet loves to play in their game. Without this independence, design would be unable to fulfill its function. The 35 mm camera constructed for leitz, the company from Wetzlar, by oskar Barnack in 1914 was actually only intended to be an exposure meter for movie film. The potentials of this extraordi narily handy device first became obvious to its inventor during use, so he devel oped the idea further until, after 10 years and a world war, the leica I saw the light of day. [. . . ] To recognize and comprehend its fascination while simultaneously tolerating its greatness. Neither to permit pride to decimate established brand value, nor allow humility to destroy creativity. The revolutionary aspect of de'Silva's concept must be the fact that no revolution takes place. Everything must remain as it was, but everything must be better ­ not prettier, but improved in line with four principles: more ergonomic, more precise, more logical, and more stringent. The technical details are discussed with leica at innumerable coordination ses sions. Even martin Winterkorn, the chief Executive officer of volkswagen aG, finds time to discuss the progress with Walter de'Silva. He points out the essential details of the construction ­ no wonder, as martin Winterkorn is a graduate of the max Planck Institute for metallurgy and later headed the technical development division at audi and volkswagen. The five concepts entering the finals deserve an individual mention here. A trained eye will notice the slight dom ing of the top deck and the ends. a graceful curve connects the two levels of the top and all unevenness is gently subdued. The ensemble appears more sculpted, but without any changes to the fundamental geometries. quite the opposite , the leathering in a contrasting color emphasizes the classical , horizontal aspect of the leica m series. The effect of de'Silva's concept is refreshingly new, particularly in the version in micrometallic grey with red leathering. ConCePt 2 abides strictly by the basic form, although the details are taken a decisive step further. De'Silva maximizes the smoothness of all surfaces: Instead of leather, the covering trim is now a flush inlay that allows the use of a variety of materials, such as carbon fiber. the impression that the camera is ensconced in a fullmetal skin is highlighted by the engraving in typical leica precision on the top deck. Here, a small detail makes the greatest difference: the mounting points for the camera strap are now invisibly integrated into the shell. In fact, de'Silva thought about the design of the leica m9 and feels that it possesses an inherent asymmetry: the lens, the viewfinder, the brightline illuminator, and the rangefinder windows are all positioned strictly according to technical dictates. He attempts to emphasize the excitement of this intrinsic feature by the creation of a basrelief for the leathering that protects the camera on three sides. Sculpted from raw, smooth metal, the grip now dominates the overall composition. Another solution for the strap mount ing points is suggested, once again as a basrelief that integrates them invisibly into the camera body. In ConCePt 4, the designer plays with the form to create a classicdecorative de sign solution. [. . . ] In a constant exchange with the audi design specialists, mark Shipard and carsten monnerjan (from right to left), the leica project team transformed the concept into reality. " "Design doesn't mean making something pretty or prettier here and there ­ but rather the avoidance of interferences, wherever they may occur. " , , Um das Erlebnis der Leica M9 Titan zu gestalten , haben wir eine Schatulle konzipiert , deren Öffnung einer Zeremonie gleicht. " "to dramatize the m9 titanium experience, we conceived a box that makes the act of opening it like a ceremony. [. . . ]